Coaxial-to-microstrip transitions find application in microwave and high-frequency systems. Generally, coaxial-to-microstrip transitions are structures that provide a transition between a coaxial line and a microstrip line. Transitions between coaxial lines and microstrip lines can be “inline” or angled. Inline transitions occur along a common axis, and angled transitions occur along disparate axes, such as at a bend or a right-angle turn.
Angled portions of high-frequency transmission lines, such as angled transitions, can be a source of impedance discontinuity that degrades signal transmission. Impedance discontinuities degrade signal transmission by causing energy to reflect back toward the energy source and radiate away from the transmission line, which reduces the input energy reaching the intended destination. Parasitic inductance is a cause of impedance discontinuity in angled portions of transmission lines. Parasitic inductance generally includes both signal conduction path inductance and ground path inductance.
The following U.S. patents provide examples of devices and methods relevant to coaxial-to-microstrip transitions, and they are expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,983,884, 5,557,074, 4,611,186, 4,837,529, 4,951,011, 4,994,771, 5,123,863, 5,175,522, 5,308,250, 5,402,088, 5,418,505, 5,517,747, and 5,552,753.
A further example of devices and methods relevant to coaxial-to-microstrip transitions is found in Morgan and Weinreb “A millimeter-wave perpendicular coax-to-microstrip transition,” Microwave Symposium Digest, 2002 IEEE MTT-S International, Vol. 2, pp. 817-820, June 2002, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.